i'm certain if this is not good enough for the white house, we will go over the fiscal cliff. >> this is a compromise on taxes. this is a compromise on mandatory spending. and it's a compromise on discretionary spending over what the select committee had debated. >> i should mention that erskine bowles has put out a statement himself. while i'm flattered the speaker would call something the bowles plan. the outline in the letter the speaker sent to the president does not represent the bowles simpson plan, nor is it the bowles plan in my testimony on deficit reduction. i simply took the mid point of the public offers, put forward during the negotiations to demonstrate where i thought a deal could be reached at the time. he's very much backing away from speaker boehner's letter. the question i wanted to ask you is some of the details, as you know, it's all in. >> can we spin one more point on that? >> absolutely. >> here's speaker boehner who is taking a mid point on the compromise between the two sides and offered it, and it's already flatley rejected? >> i think he may be rejected, si